"My garden aboundeth in pleasant nooksAnd fragrance is over it all;For sweet is the smell of my old, old booksIn their places against the wall.Here is a folio that's grim with ageAnd yellow and green with mold;There's the breath of the sea on every pageAnd the hint of a stanch ship's hold.And here is a treasure from France la belleExhalth a faint perfumeOf wedded lily and asphodelIn a garden of song abloom.And this wee little book of Puritan mienAnd rude, conspicuous printHath the Yankee flavor of wintergreen,Or, may be, of peppermint.In Walton the brooks a-babbling tellWhere the cherry daisy grows,And where in meadow or woodland dwellThe buttercup and the rose.But best beloved of books, I ween,Are those which one perceivesAre hallowed by ashes dropped betweenThe yellow, well-thumbed leaves.For it's here a laugh and it's there a tear,Till the treasured book is read;Aud the ashes betwixt the pages hereTell us of one long dead.But the gracious presence reappearsAs we read the book again,And the fragrance of precious, distant yearsFilleth the hearts of men.Come, pluck with me in my garden nooksThe posies that bloom for all;Oh, sweet is the smell of my old, old booksIn their places against the wall!"Meehans' Monthly: A Magazine of Horticulture, Botany, and ..., Volumes 6-7

About Me

Since childhood I have been interested in the world of natural aromatics. This interest gradually developed into our home business White Lotus Aromatics. Keypoints along this aromatic journey were:
1) living on a small farm in India where many tropical fragrant plants were to be found
2) a career in horticulture, highlighted by working on a formal garden estate, Filoli
3) many journeys throughout the length and breadth of India to explore India's ancient and modern aromatic traditions.
Please note that I have an interest in the wonderful world of natural aromatics, but have no therapeutic expertise. Any mention of ayurveda or other traditional healing systems in strictly for cultural interest.